Anguish, Action and Grace
My mom has a cousin on Facebook who relies on Fox News to keep her informed. This morning, my mom handed me her iPad and asked “Can you read this, please?” What I read was a standard Right/Left argument wherein two different opinions were presented based upon two entirely different perspectives of our shared reality.
I see the same thing on my FB newsfeed again and again. Intense and angry exchanges where the more the argument runs on, the deeper all parties dig their heels into their respective positions and then, oftentimes, it becomes ugly and abusive.
Just reading these posts stresses me out. My head gets tight. My belly starts screaming. Of course I have my own opinion and it takes all my self-awareness and restraint to not engage and try to change someone’s mind.
Had I tried that today, it would have made me feel worse. It would have agitated my thinking and created anxiety in my body. Why? Because while I feel like I have a well-researched and thought-out opinion on current events, so do the people who disagree with me. So, where do you go from there?
Deeper into ego and belief. Deeper into unhealed wounds and separation. Deeper into the experience of chaos.
Not exactly a path to happiness.
I’m not here to present a solution to this problem (because I don’t have one), but to offer an approach that works for me:
Get clear on what is right for you and act in ways that are in alignment with that. Do so with grace, for yourself and for everyone else.
What is grace? Grace is remembering that everyone is doing their best with what they have. Grace is remembering that we are all suffering in some way. Grace is remembering we are all someone’s sons or daughters. Grace is remembering our shared humanity. Grace is forgiveness.
Grace is remembering who you are. You are a spiritual being having a human experience. The human experience is designed to make you forget your spiritual nature so you can find your way back to it. Grace is the way back.
Grace is not complacency. It is not spiritual bypassing and seeing only the good. Grace is seeing the full picture: the dark and the light, and acting from a place of wholeness and for the good of all.
Below are some opportunities for grace in action, as well as information that is important to our community.
If you have a child in NYC schools, CUNY is hosting a “NYC School Workers Solidarity Campaign Launch Meeting” tonight at 8pm. This event will feature a panel including teachers from NYC and Chicago, a solidarity activist, a nurse, a transit worker, and a parent who will speak on building solidarity for NYC teachers in the fight for safe and equitable conditions in schools. Register for this Zoom event here.
Small businesses in NYC are struggling, including ours! Please be informed of NY State Senate Bill S 8865 and Assembly Bill A 10901, which will provide critical rent relief to small businesses, small landlords, and not-for-profits devastated by the Covid-19 outbreak & subsequent PAUSE order. You can see more information on how you can help HERE.
There are a lot of actions we can take to create the change we want to see in the world. I believe the most effective actions we can take are rooted in our personal authenticity, grace, and the deep awareness that we are all just spiritual beings finding our way back to ourselves.
